Fury over 'disgraceful' New Zealand national anthem

A singer who butchered the New Zealand national anthem before a rugby league Test match has been slammed over what has been described as “the worst rendition” of the famous song.

New Zealand Rugby League CEO Greg Peters was particularly scathing of the performance from Crystal Collins, labelling her effort “disgraceful” before the match against England.

Collins also struggled through England’s God Save the Queen but the true disaster came during the Kiwis’ anthem, with Peters insisting on radio that he was “very disappointed” with the singer’s haphazard rendition.

“The anthem was disgraceful, and we are very disappointed by that,” he said.

Collins’s version of the NZ anthem did not go down well. Pic: Sky Sports

“These things happen from time to time, and it’s not the first time that I’ve seen it happen in sport.

“The Kiwi national anthem is something we’re proud of, and we will be taking steps to speak to the promoters about that in the debrief.”

New Zealand’s players could only watch on in horror as the embarrassing scenes unfolded, with fans venting their fury over the debacle on social media and many questioning whether she actually knew the words.

If the match isn't better than the performance of the New Zealand anthem, test rugby league is stuffed. What an embarrassment.